The present invention relates to a process for the production of a H2-containing product in a hydrogen production facility comprising a catalytic steam-hydrocarbon reformer and a pressure swing adsorption unit. More specifically the present process addresses the need to reduce the time to startup the hydrogen production facility after a maintenance event, and reduce the consumption of feedstock and fuel consumed during the startup mode after a maintenance event.
Related disclosures include U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,618 and U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2007/0212293 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,587).
U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,618 discloses a method for starting up a hydrogen-generation assembly that includes a hydrogen-producing region (HPR) and a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) assembly. The hydrogen-producing region has a HPR hydrogen-producing, HPR shutdown, HPR dormant, and HPR startup states. The PSA assembly has a PSA hydrogen-purifying, PSA shutdown, PSA dormant, and PSA startup states. The U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,618 invention requires that the PSA startup sequence includes utilizing the PSA startup sequence at least partially concurrently with the HPR startup sequence where the PSA startup sequence begins after initiating and before completing the HPR startup sequence to transition the HPR from the HPR dormant state to the HPR hydrogen-producing state.
U.S. 2007/0212293 discloses a startup procedure for hydrocarbon fuel reformers. The system comprises a hydrogen generation system primarily consisting of a reformer unit 2, a hydrogen purification unit 3, which can be a pressure swing adsorption unit, and a hydrogen storage unit 4. FIG. 2 illustrates the startup procedure where gases flow through the reformer 2 and pass to the H2 purification unit 3 (step 103) and the H2 purification unit 3 is operated such that all gas flows to the combustor 15 (step 104). Various steps are taken during startup of the reformer unit 2 and the pressure swing adsorption unit 3 until the product purity and pressure from the H2 purification unit 3 is established in step 115. Then the reformer unit and the hydrogen purification unit are started up concurrently in U.S. 2007/0212293.
Industry desires to startup the catalytic steam-hydrocarbon reformer and pressure swing adsorption unit quickly and safely.
Industry desires to startup the catalytic steam-hydrocarbon reformer and pressure swing adsorption unit while reducing the amount of unproductive feedstock and fuel consumed during the startup phase.